ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
President's Secretariat
President Hosts President of Maldives; Says India Supports A Democratic, Stable and Prosperous Maldives
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, received His Excellency Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the President of the Republic of Maldives, at Rashtrapati Bhavan today . He also hosted a banquet in his honour.
Welcoming the Maldives President to India, the President said that we are honoured that he has chosen to visit India on his first State Visit and that too, within a month of assuming office. This speaks for our close ties and special friendship. The President said that India attaches the highest importance to its relationship with Maldives. Maldives can always count on India as a steadfast partner in its progress as a nation.
The President said that along with strengthening our bilateral relations, we must also enhance our partnership on global issues. Climate Change needs urgent attention and action. We are deeply concerned of its impact, and especially so on Maldives and other Small Island States that are most vulnerable to it. India has taken the lead to fight Climate Change through the International Solar Alliance. The President invited Maldives to become a member of the Alliance and strengthen its efforts.
Subsequently, in his banquet speech, President Kovind said that India wishes to see a democratic, stable, prosperous and peaceful Maldives. As the Maldives Government embarks on its journey to fulfill the mandate given by the people of the country, India assures all possible support as a true friend.
Click here to See Banquet Speech
Special Service and Features
Republic Day Celebrations at IndianOil Bhavan – Chennai
Mr. K Sailendra, Executive Director , Southern Region unfurled the National Tricolor on Republic Day at IndianOil Bhavan, Nungambakkam – Chennai in presence of other senior officials.
Mr. K.Sailendra in his address, said Our way forward is indeed focused on green energy as the theme of this year denotes - Crafting a Green Future. The government has set an ambitious target of 500 GW of renewable energy-based capacity by 2030. In support of the initiative, IndianOil is working to enhance its green energy portfolio. To ensure 50% stake in EV Charging outlets, we will be putting up 5000 EV charging stations out of the 10000 EV charging stations that are coming up across India as declared by the government. Hydrogen holds the potential to provide a clean and reliable source of energy that can be used in a wide range of applications, including the transport sector. Besides ensuring energy security to the nation, the environmental benefits of using Hydrogen in a fuel cell vehicle could be significant.
He also mentioned that IndianOil has been pioneering the hydrogen efforts in the country and to give a fillip to India’s push to usher in hydrogen-based mobility solutions, IndianOil has invited bids to procure 15 Polymer Electrolyte Membrane  fuel cell buses. One of the key ingredients of this project is that the fuel cell stack/system technology would be indigenously developed and manufactured in the spirit of AatmaNirbhar Bharat.
Owing to pandemic restrictions, employees attended the event virtually through Zoom Platform. Ceremonial Parade was performed by the Territorial Army and security team members of IndianOil. Long service awards were virtually distributed to the IndianOil employees who had completed 25 and 30 years of service. Cultural Programmes were also organized by the team of in-house talents from IndianOil Family.
This is stated in a press release issued by the Shri. V. Vetriselvakkumar, General Manager , IndianOil – Southern Region Marketing.
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Ministry of Labour & Employment
ESIC issues instructions for submission of claims for Unemployment Benefit under Atal Bimit Kalyan Yojana
ESIC has issued instructions for submission of claims by the affected workers to claim relief under recently expanded Atal Beemit Kalyan Yojna in which relief is to be paid to to those ESI members who lost their job. Claims to get the relief can be made online at website www.esic.in along with submission of the physical claim with an affidavit, photocopy of Aadhaar Card and Bank Account details to the designated ESIC Branch Office by post or in person.
It may be stated that ESI Corporation under the Chairmanship of Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State  for Labour and Employment has taken the decision to extend the scheme of Atal Beemit Kalyan Yojana for another one year i.e. from 1st July, 2020 to 30th June, 2021. It has also been decided to enhance the rate of unemployment relief under the scheme to 50% of wages from earlier rate of 25% along with relaxation of eligibility conditions for insured workers who have lost their employment due to COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown. Under the existing guidelines, claim for the unemployment benefit was required to be submitted through the employer. Shri Gangwar said that in a significant relaxation, claim can now be submitted directly to the designated ESIC Branch Office. The enhanced benefit and relaxed conditions are applicable during the period 24th March 2020 to 31st December 2020. A notification to this intent has been issued.
The relief will be paid directly to the bank accounts of workers. Labour Minister, while lauding the efforts of ESIC said that at present, ESIC is providing benefits /services to about 3.49 Crore of family units of workers and providing matchless cash benefits and reasonable medical care to its 13.56 crore beneficiaries. Today, its infrastructure has increased many folds with 1520 Dispensaries /307 ISM Units and 159 ESI Hospitals, 793 Branch/Pay Offices and 64 Regional & Sub-Regional Offices and implemented in 566 districts in 34 States/ UTs.
Ministry of Steel
RINL imparts skill training to 100 divyangjans to MAKE them self-reliance
With a view to empower Divyangjan  and help them earn livelihood, RINL provided skill development training to 100 beneficiaries in Visakhapatnam. RINL spent Rs 4.95 lakh towards imparting necessary skills with the support of Jan Shikshan Sansthan  to the trainees as part of corporate social responsibility initiative of RINL.
As part of the noble endeavour, 100 divyangjans were trained at 3 training centres i.e., Sreya Foundation, Sujathanagar, Sunflower Special School, Pedawaltair, Lebenshilfe, MVP Colony in Visakhapatnam. On successful completion of the training program, certificates were given away to the participants on Tuesday.
The certificates were presented by Shri A Ashok, GM  and other officials of Corporate Social Responsibility  of RINL.
To make it convenient for the beneficiaries , RINL management provided the skill training at their respective Day care training centres, in various skills such as tailoring, preparation of home needs like agarbattis, candle making, phenyl making and detergent making through special trainers from JSS. The duration of the training in tailoring was for 3 months and training in preparation of home needs was for 2 months.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Centre Advises States/UTs To Prioritize Tap Water Connections in Villages With More Than 90% Coverage To Ensure ‘No One Is Left Out’
National Jal Jeevan Mission , Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation , Ministry of Jal Shakti issued an advisory to States/ UTs to provide tap water connections on priority to the remaining few households in those villages with more than 90% coverage of household tap water connections. States have been urged for the provision of potable tap water to ‘all households’ in a village under Jal Jeevan Mission  based on the principle of equity and inclusiveness. Under JJM, every rural household is to be provided with tap water supply in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis and ensuring that ‘no one is left out’. It was reminded that making every village as a ‘Har Ghar Jal’ village is the goal as it manifests the equity & inclusiveness approach. Further, the coverage of these households will also improve the number of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ villages in the States/ UTs.
As reported by States/ UTs, there are more than 21,000 villages in the country where remaining 10% households are yet to be provided with household tap water supply. It was emphasized that these households can be easily covered by taking up retrofitting/ augmentation work of the existing drinking water supply systems and thus, may be prioritized without any further delay and ensure its 100% coverage by end of this month. This issue will also be reviewed regularly.
Jal Jeevan Mission is implemented in partnership with States/ UTs, which aims to improve quality of life of people living in rural areas, by providing a household tap water connection to every rural household by 2024. In less than two years of the mission and despite challenges faced due to COVID-19 Pandemic, more than 4.17 Crore households have been given tap water connections. 61 districts, 731 blocks, more than 89,000 villages have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ i.e. 100% households in these areas are provided tap water supply. As a result, more than 7.41 Crore  rural households in the country are getting potable tap water in their homes.
Provision of assured tap water supply to every home brings ‘ease of living’ to rural communities, especially women by relieving them of the drudgery from fetching water from a distance. Safe water at home also helps people practice regular handwashing and maintain physical distancing by avoiding queues at public stand posts, which are most important measures in containing the spread of COVID-19.
Prime Minister's Office
PM anguished by the bus tragedy in Nashik, Maharashtra
Announces ex-gratia from PMNRF
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has condoled the deaths in a tragic bus accident in Nashik, Maharashtra. PM also wished speedy recovery of those who got injured in the accident.
The Prime Minister has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 Lakhs to the next kin of deceased and Rs. 50,000 to those injured in the bus accident from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund .
The Prime Minister Office tweeted;
"Anguished by the bus tragedy in Nashik. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones in this mishap. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected: PM @narendramodi"
"An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each of the deceased due to the bus fire in Nashik. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM @narendramodi"
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare finalizes products for One District One Focus Product
Implementation of ODOFP will benefit farmers and subsequently enhance agricultural exports
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in consultation with the Ministry of Food Processing Industrieshas finalized the products for One District One Focus Product . The products have been identified from agricultural, horticultural, animal, poultry, milk, fisheries and aquaculture, marine sectors for 728 districts across the country. The list of products have been finalized after taking inputs from the States/UTs and Indian Council of Agricultural Research . These products will be promoted in a cluster approach through convergence of the Government of India schemes, to increase the value of the products and with the ultimate aim of increasing the income of the farmers. These identified products will be supported under the PM-FME scheme of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries which provides incentives to promoter and micro-enterprises. Many products also include convergence of resources and approach from the other departments. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will support ODOFP from its ongoing centrally sponsored schemes such as MIDH, NFSM, RKVY, PKVY. The implementation of ODOFP by State Governments will benefit farmers and provide support for realizing the expectations of value addition and subsequently enhancing agricultural exports.
The products for various districts are;
 Paddy - 40 districts
 Wheat - 5 districts
 Coarse cum Nutri Cereals- 25 districts
 Pulses - 16 districts
 Commercial crops - 22 districts
 Oilseeds - 41 districts
 Vegetables - 107 districts
 Spices - 105 districts
 Plantation - 28 districts
 Fruits - 226 districts
 Floriculture - 2 districts
 Honey - 9 districts
 Animal husbandry/Dairy products - 40 districts
 Aquaculture/Marine fisheries - 29 districts
 Processed Products - 33 districts
Ministry of Power
PFC to provide PPE Kits and Ambulances to Government of Uttarakhand in its fight against COVID-19
In yet another step to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Power Finance Corporation Ltd  , the central PSU under Ministry of Power and India's leading NBFC, has come forward to provide financial assistance of ₹ 1.23 crore to the Government of Uttarakhand.
The fund will be utilized for procurement of 500 PPEs Kits for frontline staff and 06 fully equipped Ambulances which will be handed over to Health Department of Uttarakhand State.
The CSR initiative by PFC will further support the preparedness of the state of Uttarakhand in its fight against the spread of COVID-19.
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
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Use of AI for checking frauds under AB-PMJAY
The Government of India uses Artificial Intelligence  and Machine Learning  technologies to detect suspicious transactions / potential frauds under Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana . These technologies are used for prevention, detection and deterrence of healthcare frauds in the scheme implementation and are helpful in ensuring appropriate treatment to the eligible beneficiaries. Technology partners are engaged for development & deployment of anti-fraud measures using AI/ML.
As on 01st August 2023, a total number of 24.33 crore Ayushman cards have been created under the scheme. State/UT-wise details of the number of Ayushman cards created under the scheme are as follows:.
State/UT-wise details of number of Ayushman cards created under AB-PMJAY
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State/UT
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Number of Ayushman cards created
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Andaman and Nicobar Islands
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40,874
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Andhra Pradesh
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1,31,06,252
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Arunachal Pradesh
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93,301
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Assam
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|
1,60,63,937
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Bihar
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80,09,790
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Chandigarh
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|
1,57,731
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Chhattisgarh
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2,00,41,832
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Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu
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4,31,331
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Goa
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28,431
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Gujarat
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|
1,76,63,786
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Haryana
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|
85,23,559
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Himachal Pradesh
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11,35,675
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Jammu And Kashmir
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82,64,239
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Jharkhand
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1,12,41,377
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Karnataka
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1,41,95,295
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Kerala
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72,48,633
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Ladakh
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1,34,515
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Lakshadweep
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26,190
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Madhya Pradesh
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3,62,18,679
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Maharashtra
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97,76,594
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Manipur
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4,89,373
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Meghalaya
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18,19,920
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Mizoram
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4,38,471
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Nagaland
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6,00,519
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Puducherry
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4,21,796
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Punjab
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78,60,437
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Rajasthan
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1,09,49,199
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Sikkim
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54,875
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Tamil Nadu
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45,40,231
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Telangana
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72,36,809
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Tripura
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13,34,680
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Uttar Pradesh
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3,00,14,691
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Uttarakhand
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51,51,774
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Total
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24,33,14,796
Note: States/UT of Delhi, Odisha and West Bengal are not implementing AB-PMJAY.
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prof. S.P. Baghel stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Special Service and Features
Three new Mail Motor Service Vans flagged off
The flag-off ceremony of the new three mail motor service vans for mail conveyance in Thiruvananthapuram district was conducted today by the Postal Department, Thiruvananthapuram North Postal Division. The flag-off ceremony was inaugurated by Mrs. Sheuli Burman, Chief Postmaster General, Kerala Postal Circle. These vans will start their operations tomorrow  The Senior Superintendent of the Thiruvananthapuram North Postal informed that it was rare for these many mail vans to be added to the Mail Motor Service in the Kerala Circle at once.
-NS-
(Visitor Counter : 123
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Funds for Afforestation
The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has recently released the Detailed Project Reports  prepared by Indian Council of Forestry, Research and Education , Dehradun for Rejuvenation of 13 Major Rivers namely Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, Luni, Yamuna, Mahanadi, Brahmaputra, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery through Forestry interventions. The programme interventions include tree plantation, soil and moisture conservation works in the catchment area and river front development to increase green cover and carbon sink, reduce silt load & flooding and enhance ground water recharge etc., besides generating employment.
Thetotal financial requirement to the interventions proposed in these thirteen DPRs is Rs. 19,342.62 crore under 4 major components viz Implementation of Forestry Interventions,  Strengthening Knowledge Management and National Capacity Development,  Maintenance Phase including Scaling Up and Replication of Successful Models, and  National Coordination for Forestry Interventions and River Conservation. The details of State-wise outlayincluding Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is given in Annexure.
The DPRs have been forwarded to concerned State Governments for implementation with multi-departmental participation. The State Forest Departments together with concerned Departments namely Agricultural & Horticulture Department, Urban Municipal Bodies, Department of Rural Development etc. are envisaged to implement the DPRs with the funding sources under various Central and State Government schemes.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Annexure
State-wise Details of total outlay for implementation of DPRs for rejuvenation of 13 Major Rivers through forestry interventions
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Sl. No.
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States/ UTs
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Total Outlay for State/UT

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1
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Andhra Pradesh
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263.45
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2
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Arunachal Pradesh
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320.31
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3
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Assam
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471.09
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4
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Chhattisgarh
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571.72
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5
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Delhi
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10.73
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6
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Gujarat
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439.5
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7
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Haryana
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67.28
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8
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Himachal Pradesh
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1760.7
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9
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J&K UT
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743.23
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10
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Karnataka
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2021.59
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11
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Kerala
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569.04
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12
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Madhya Pradesh
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2110.25
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13
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Maharashtra
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1392.13
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14
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Manipur
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4.34
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15
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Meghalaya
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67.3
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16
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Nagaland
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121.07
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17
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Odisha
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674.15
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18
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Puducherry UT
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6.8
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19
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Punjab
|
|
432.07
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20
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Rajasthan
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|
2757.47
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|
21
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Sikkim
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|
23.58
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|
22
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Tamil Nadu
|
|
1253.32
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|
23
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Telangana
|
|
927.9
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|
24
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Uttar Pradesh
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|
451.78
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|
25
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Uttarakhand
|
|
123.71
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|
26
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West Bengal
|
|
72.86
Ministry of Finance
Income Tax Department hits at terror financing activities in J&K Region
The head of a prominent organisation allegedly indulging in anti-national activities alongwith his associates were covered in a sensitive search action by the Income Tax Department today. Search action has been conducted at 4 premises in the Valley and 3 in the national capital. The search action has yielded credible evidence of large scale undisclosed financial transactions carried out in the business of quarrying, hotels etc.
During the search, clinching evidence was also unearthed of huge unaccounted expenditure having been incurred in cash on the reconstruction and remodeling of the residential premises presently being used by the tax evader’s family. Despite carrying out large scale financial transactions, neither the main protagonist nor any member of his family has ever filed any income tax return. The evidence found in search action is robust enough to show a deliberate and willful attempt to evade tax.
In the search action, 3 hard discs have also been seized. The analysis of the information contained in the discs is likely to yield even more substantial evidence against the tax evader and his associates. This action is part of a concerted drive to trace illegal sources of funding that have financed the separatist elements and their activities in the Valley.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Bharatmala Projects along Indo-Nepal Border areas
The Government of India has approved Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana with financial outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crore to develop 24,800 km Highways along with 10,000 km residual NHDP stretches over a period of five years. In Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I, development of Border & International Connectivity roads for a length of 2000 km has also been envisaged with outlay of Rs 25,000 crore. Along Indo-Nepal Border, the project i.e. balance work of Piprakothi-Motihari-Raxaul on NH-28A of about 69 km length and civil cost of approximately Rs 334 crore has been awarded in December, 2018 and commenced in February, 2019 with scheduled completion period of 12 months.
This information was given by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin J Gadkari in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
First Virtual Trade Fair by APEDA draws huge response from foreign participants and Indian exporters
First Virtual Trade Fair  organised by APEDA to boost exports potential of India’s agricultural and processed food products during COVID19 pandemic drew huge response from participants, exporters and buyers from countries including India, UAE, Brazil, New Zealand and France.
The VTF organised during March 10-12, 2021 drew more than 404 visitors. There were 313 exhibitors registered for the mega virtual event where 128 stalls were set up to showcase products from the categories - basmati rice, non-basmati rice, millets, wheat, maize, groundnut and coarse grains.
The buyers from around the globe showed distributed interest in a variety of product categories displayed during VTF.
The fair with a theme ‘India Rice and Agro Commodity’, focussed on showcasing the exports potential of various agricultural commodities. Importers as well as exporters were key participants of the VTF. For each day during VTF, the potential buyers or importers and visitors keenly explored a wide range of food products presented by the exporters.
All the exhibitor stalls looked attractive and integrated well with the event’s theme. All the stalls had their product catalogues, product lists and a short video of their company.
Indian and international buyers from the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, New Zealand, France, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Fiji, Philippines, Qatar, Sudan, Myanmar, Netherlands, and Peru had registered for the virtual events. The promotion of VTF was also generated with the support of Indian Embassies abroad. An aggressive social media campaign for promotion of VTF was initiated.
Because of COVID19 related restrictions on physical travel and trade, APEDA has initiated the concept of VTF for sustaining India’s agricultural and processed food products exports and also exploring new markets for expanding export footprints.
In the pre-COVID19 era, trade fairs and exhibitions have been instrumental in promoting export of agricultural foods by APEDA. In the VTF, the trade facilitations take place using interactive technology.
At VTF, the exporters and importer meetings were held with no interruption via audio as well as video sessions. The fair provided the facility workshops, product launches, live streams and webinars. The virtual meet facilitated private meetings as well as personalized meetings.
The online interactions between exporters and importers and data exchanged during such interaction were secured and could be accessed only by parties concerned.
Such virtual events also provide cost effective and productive platforms where the buyers and sellers could negotiate or discuss trade face to face giving a feel of real time exhibitions or fairs.
APEDA has been a pioneer in taking IT initiatives in the past in terms of making its process system online, implementation of traceability and adoption of advanced technology.